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Academic Achievements

Meaningful Coursework

CE342 Equity & Responsibility in Action Paper

This assignment helped me understand oppression and equity in a much more concrete way. Through analyzing the pandemic context in China and engaging with course readings, I learned to step back from my own assumptions and see how systems shape people’s experiences. Developing an action plan pushed me to connect theory to real-world practice and think critically about ethical responsibility. Most importantly, this coursework strengthened my commitment to approaching others with cultural humility and to creating more equitable environments within my own sphere of influence.

HD306 Interview Project

This interview project became one of my most meaningful academic experiences. Recording a two-hour conversation with my parents allowed me to see them not only as “parents” but as individuals with complex developmental histories shaped by culture, family structure, and historical context. Through organizing Elizabeth Keating’s questions and analyzing their responses, I practiced applying lifespan theories to real lives and deepened my understanding of intergenerational difference. This assignment strengthened my skills in listening, cultural reflection, and narrative interpretation—skills that will be essential in my future work as a counselor.

ED200 Reflective Journal

This weekly journal became a space where I learned to examine my assumptions about schooling, culture, privilege, and identity. Through readings from Sensoy, DiAngelo, Spring, and others, and through observing students in my field placement, I slowly trained myself to “step back” and recognize how systems shape behavior—my own included. Writing each entry pushed me to confront biases, question definitions of “being educated,” and rethink my earlier beliefs about good teaching, justice, and inclusion. These journals strengthened my cultural humility and helped me develop the reflective mindset essential for my future work in counseling and education.

HD431 Research Review

This research review deepened my understanding of how policy, inequality, and public health intersect in children’s lives. Examining accessibility, disparities, and mental health in the U.S. child healthcare system helped me see how structural factors shape developmental outcomes far beyond individual effort. Synthesizing data from multiple sources pushed me to think critically, trace historical policy decisions, and connect them to current inequities. More importantly, this project strengthened my commitment to integrating policy awareness into my future counseling work. Understanding the systemic barriers children face is essential for supporting them ethically and effectively.

YJ360 Final Paper: PYD Youth Program Design

Facilitating this class discussion allowed me to connect Chinese educational realities with youth development theories in a meaningful way. Preparing the presentation pushed our group to examine the “Hengshui Mode” not only as an academic pressure system but also through frameworks such as Positive Youth Development and strength-based approaches. Sharing real student testimonies (slides pp. 9–11) and analyzing stress impacts (pp. 14–17) deepened my understanding of how school culture, teacher attitudes, and family expectations shape adolescents’ well-being. Leading the discussion strengthened my confidence in guiding conversations on sensitive topics and helped me practice integrating cultural context into educational analysis.

HD431 Group Presentation

Leading the class discussion on children’s health policies helped me understand how deeply public policy shapes children’s well-being. Preparing our presentation required us to analyze Medicaid disenrollment data—such as children making up 41% of procedural removals (page 4)—and connect it to real family experiences like the Texas case we opened with (page 2). Reviewing charts on uninsured rates (pages 6–7, 10) and identifying risk chains pushed me to think critically about structural inequity. Facilitating discussion strengthened my ability to guide conversations on social issues and deepened my awareness of how access to healthcare functions as both a protective factor and a moral responsibility.

HD265 Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography deepened my understanding of how research is constructed, critiqued, and synthesized. Reviewing studies on international students’ mental health, mobility, microaggressions, and academic experiences taught me to identify research gaps and evaluate methods across both quantitative and qualitative designs. Comparing articles—such as those examining help-seeking behaviors, mobility trends, and racialized experiences—helped me see competing perspectives and build a stronger argument for our team project. More importantly, this assignment strengthened my analytical skills and my ability to connect empirical evidence to real issues faced by international students, a topic closely tied to my future counseling practice.

ED220 Linguistic Identity Paper

Writing this paper allowed me to understand language as both a personal resource and a cultural inheritance. Reflecting on my experiences with Mandarin, Inner Mongolian dialect, and English helped me see how language shapes identity, access, and worldview. Analyzing concepts such as cultural transmission (Dressler) and the distinction between language learning and acquisition (Lightbown) gave me a clearer framework for understanding my bilingual development. Most importantly, this assignment deepened my awareness of how my linguistic identity will influence my future counseling practice—reminding me to approach clients with cultural humility and to remain attentive to the diverse linguistic journeys people carry.

CF510 Integrative Paper

This integrative paper helped me understand psychological struggles through lived experience rather than diagnostic labels. Analyzing Nomi Kaim’s journey showed me how identity, community, and cultural context shape one’s relationship to diagnosis beyond the DSM’s limited framework. Examining cross-cultural perspectives—especially generational differences within China—pushed me to rethink my assumptions about causation, stigma, and family dynamics. Most importantly, this assignment strengthened my awareness of how cultural context influences pathology and highlighted the need for educators and clinicians to ask “why” before reacting to behavior. It deepened my commitment to culturally humble, systems-aware mental health practice.

HD224 Group research brief & presentation

This project taught me how to translate complex research into a clear, accessible brief while collaborating effectively with a team. Investigating how violent video games affect adolescent emotional development helped me understand the nuance behind media-related risk: immediate impacts like aggressive thoughts (page 3) differ from long-term effects such as reduced empathy (page 3). We also discussed how gender, SES, and intensity of play shape these outcomes (pages 4–5). Preparing the presentation deepened my skills in synthesizing evidence, considering ethical issues such as gamification harms (page 9), and connecting research to real-world implications for families and educators.

HD385 Literature Review

This project helped me understand COVID-19 as a form of sudden and substantial event-induced trauma, deepening my awareness of how collective crises intersect with structural inequity. Synthesizing research—from TIC frameworks to cross-cultural analyses of China’s zero-COVID policy—taught me to examine trauma through multiple systems: individual, family, community, and policy. Preparing the awareness presentation strengthened my ability to translate complex scholarship into accessible education for the public. Most importantly, this assignment expanded my view of trauma-informed work, showing me that effective prevention and intervention require cultural humility, systemic thinking, and collaborative, justice-oriented practice.

HD410 Final Presentation

Preparing my final practicum presentation helped me synthesize my 200-hour experience at The Chestnut Hill School into a coherent professional narrative. Summarizing my site, weekly routines, and supervision structure (pages 2–5) pushed me to reflect more deeply on how I grew from observing routines to leading small-group instruction and SEL discussions (page 6). Highlighting key takeaways—such as how every behavior reflects developmental needs and how teaching overlaps with counseling (page 7)—allowed me to recognize my emerging identity as a future counselor. This assignment strengthened my confidence, communication skills, and clarity about how this practicum connects to my long-term career path.